NEW Next Gen 2 Series Tektronix Oscilloscope

[mikeselectricstuff]

I've yet to see a direct web interface based scope that's even close to being really usable. They are usually pretty gimmicky and fiddly.

the R&S RTB/RTM scopes work very well

[Hydron]

USB-B will be used for using the scope as a device (e.g. emulating mass storage or another media transfer protocol - if done well can be very useful, e.g. having a virtual file which when copied will be a screenshot, or waveform record or something). Looks like some USB-A ports on it as well.

Edit: looks like I replied to a deleted post!

[Fungus]

this is already aimed at hand-held use, so earthing is something that needs to be considered anyway (and appears to be catered for with an earth lug on the case).

Looks like the battery pack even comes with a little yellow/green cable.

[bd139]

...which will be lost instantly and never used...

[Fungus]

USB-B will be used for using the scope as a device (e.g. emulating mass storage or another media transfer protocol

Edit: looks like I replied to a deleted post!

Yep, I thought about that after I posted so I deleted it.

If you're connecting the 'scope directly to your PC/laptop with a USB cable then you need a non-USB-A connector on the 'scope to avoid confusion.

Edit: But USB-C would have killed two birds with one stone - communication and power - you could even run it off a USB power bank in a pinch.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Shame they didn't put USB-C on there as a power option - looks like it uses one of those horrible mini-DIN style plugs, so you'll need to carry an extra proprietary adapter with you if you want to use it on the go, and pay top $$$ if you lose the included one.

Please tell me they have a right-angled plug for that -  a long mini-din type cable coming out sideways would be awful.
Also looks like thay use a different PSU for the scope and the battery charger   

[Fungus]

I'm pretty sure you can't hold it one-handed like this:



And that screen looks awfully shiny to me 

[mikeselectricstuff]

And that screen looks awfully shiny to me 

A matte screen protector will fix that - works well on the R&S

[bd139]

I'm pretty sure you can't hold it one-handed like this:



And that screen looks awfully shiny to me 

Considering you can hold an iPad like that for about 2-3 minutes before your hand hurts, yup, even if it was designed for it. Going to be a lot heavier than an iPad.

[pcprogrammer]

And how amazing is it that it works without a power cable.

It must have another battery in the main housing to do this since the picture with the battery holder attached shows it to be much thicker.

And what's up with the just 10Msamples of storage. The rest of the specs are not that amazing either for what the price seems to be.

[nctnico]

And what's up with the just 10Msamples of storage.

Competing Keysight scopes have at least 10 times less memory per channel.

[pcprogrammer]

Where as Rigol MSO5000 series have 100MB (200MB when hacked) in total for the 4 channels so 25MB per channel when all are used for a fraction of the price.

[james_s]

And what's up with the just 10Msamples of storage. The rest of the specs are not that amazing either for what the price seems to be.

That seems like a lot to me. I think my main scope has 8M and that's enough for pages and pages and pages of waveform, in practice I usually use much much less.

[2N3055]

And what's up with the just 10Msamples of storage. The rest of the specs are not that amazing either for what the price seems to be.

That seems like a lot to me. I think my main scope has 8M and that's enough for pages and pages and pages of waveform, in practice I usually use much much less.

It depends heavily on what you do... And sampling rate of the scope.

[Caliaxy]

I'm pretty sure you can't hold it one-handed like this:



And that screen looks awfully shiny to me 

Considering you can hold an iPad like that for about 2-3 minutes before your hand hurts, yup, even if it was designed for it. Going to be a lot heavier than an iPad.

Something is wrong about this photo. It keeps displaying pinch zoom-able traces on screen without power adapter plugged in and without battery pack attached. Or maybe it's powered by the decoded signal itself, fed through the port on the other edge? Micsig, beat that!

[tautech]

Where as Rigol MSO5000 series have 100MB (200MB when hacked) in total for the 4 channels so 25MB per channel when all are used for a fraction of the price.

Yet the SDS2000X Plus, the deep memory leader in this class has 2x 200Mpts for 100Mpts/ch with all channels active. SDS5000X are of similar construction but with 2x 250Mpts.

[xrunner]

Something is wrong about this photo. It keeps displaying pinch zoom-able traces on screen without power adapter plugged in and without battery pack attached. Or maybe it's powered by the decoded signal itself, fed through the port on the other edge? Micsig, beat that!

That's just a silly graphic and I hope Tek didn't make it.  There is no way it could be held like that it would fall off your hand. 

As far as the membrane keypad - it will develop fatigue cracks eventually. Here's a pic of my neighbor's microwave oven keypad to show what happens after repeated pressing for a few years. This from an older couple entering times to warm up coffee and leftovers. Before they had to replace their dishwasher because of leaks, it had the same issues with it's membrane keys (two different manufacturers).

People in an industrial environment will not go easier on membrane buttons than people that actually had to pay for their own stuff. They'll be pushing them with pencils and screwdrivers as well as their fingers, and many times much harder than needed if they are frustrated with the scope or the job they are doing. I've seen abuse like that where I worked and I'm sure others have as well.

Maybe it won't happen to this design, I hope not for the people who purchase the thing.

[KE5FX]

Looks like the battery pack even comes with a little yellow/green cable.

That'll be the Kensington security cable, needed to keep it from walking out of classrooms. 

Re: VNC, most "web interfaces" are just Java VNC clients that the instrument downloads to the browser at connection time.  It falls into the better-than-nothing category, sometimes much better.

[2N3055]

Looks like the battery pack even comes with a little yellow/green cable.

That'll be the Kensington security cable, needed to keep it from walking out of classrooms. 

Re: VNC, most "web interfaces" are just Java VNC clients that the instrument downloads to the browser at connection time.  It falls into the better-than-nothing category, sometimes much better.

I think that is a grounding cable....

[KE5FX]

I think that is a grounding cable....

Maybe... I can't tell if that's a banana jack, or a locking plug that's been turned sideways.

[EEVblog]

Do you have a SPL2016 in the lab Dave as it appears the Tek P6316 MSO probe is almost identical to the SPL2016 Siglent use. If we look at the digital socket on the RHS it looks the same shape and size for the PCIE connector Siglent, LeCroy, some Rigol and existing Tek models use.

I have the P6316 probe, but the software option isn't there yet.

[EEVblog]

Something is wrong about this photo. It keeps displaying pinch zoom-able traces on screen without power adapter plugged in and without battery pack attached.

I did notify them about that amusing image 

[EEVblog]

Please tell me they have a right-angled plug for that -  a long mini-din type cable coming out sideways would be awful.

It comes out sideways. It's one of the things I noted in my first impressions video I think.

[Someone]

Most competitors have serial as standard. All pretty competitive with this brand new Tek, pick any feature you prioritise and one of the above can come out on top but none are killing it on most/every measure.

You can pull all the singular corner case negative examples you like that no-one would realistically consider as an alternative, but actually looking in this bracket the Tek isn't jumping out on anything.

Name another scope that:
- Moves seamlessly from bench use to portable use, with VESA mount and rack mount option.
- Has hot swappable batteries with external charging dock for serious field use.
- Has VNC remote operation
- Shares the same interface and software features as high end models, so higher end features flow down to this model.

None of that may matter to you, and that's fine, but I'm pretty impressed with the market differentiation they have done here.

The 'old overly specific tender specifications trick? As I explicitly said in that post, yes you can find some characteristics which make it unique (in combination), but they arent attention grabbing or impressive in the broader market. Once the pricing is public then fairer comparisons can be made.

We could equally take aim at your blind fanboy/marketing take, VESA mounts are notoriously not seamless for moving between mounted and mobile: "VESA mounting points on rear of instrument" of the standard type that is held in with screws. Perhpas if there were some tidy clip on/off accessory or mount that easily swapped with the battery pack you might have a point (particularly integrating power delivery), but there is nothing to suggest that in the material available.

This puts it pretty well:

You can pull all the singular corner case negative examples you like that no-one would realistically consider as an alternative, but actually looking in this bracket the Tek isn't jumping out on anything.

So? This new one is leaping out compared to other Teks.

(which I assume somebody is buying)

Insular looking product that doesnt seem to try to compete with the opposition, yep. If it was trying to modernize the Tek product suite then the isolated channels of the TPS would have been an obvious thing to hit (perhaps too expensive to fit into the small/odd gap between their TBS2000 and the 3 series). That split with the TBS2000 is really odd, mutually exclusive serial analysis or active probe interface.

[EEVblog]

I've yet to see a direct web interface based scope that's even close to being really usable. They are usually pretty gimmicky and fiddly.

the R&S RTB/RTM scopes work very well

Yes, forgot about that.
The responsiveness of the R&S and the Tek seems the same.